Today’s Tech: Panasonic shows off 4K tablet at CES, Play.com ends direct retail, Nokia to take Lumias into the enterprise

If Sony grabbed the headlines at CES with its 4K OLED TV teaser, Panasonic has done its best to undermine its rival at the earliest opportunity. Not only did the Osaka-based company unveil its own UltraHD OLED screen – the world’s second – but it upped the ante significantly by way of a 4K tablet as well. It’s an eminently powerful machine, featuring 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core i5 CPU, while an IPS Alpha LCD panel plays host to the predictably stunning display. But make no mistake, it’s a large device – at 475 x 333 x 100mm and weighing 2.4Kg, the Nexus 7 this ain’t. But Panasonic pointed to a number of possible early deployment scenarios, including use by on-site architects annotating blueprints or professional photographers using Photoshop to edit images in the field. With no indication of when this beastly machine might go into production or how might it much cost, it’s still largely the stuff of fiction for average consumers, but that doesn’t mean it looked any less sexy out on the catwalk.

Another product of intrigue at CES today has been the integrated speaker system from Danish audio company Bang and Olufsen. The premium set-up includes 15 two-way active speakers that hang on your wall and ceiling, bringing just as much to the table aesthetically as they do in terms of sound – which Riyad Emeran describes as full, rich and detailed. The package costs the best part of three grand, so if a UK launch is imminent, you’d better get saving.

A real fixture of online retail met its partial demise today, as Play.com closed its direct selling business. Last year, the UK government ended a trade loophole that allowed items under £15 to be sold VAT-free to the UK from the Channel Islands, and, based in Jersey, Play.com have felt the impact of the decision. No longer able to offer the competitive prices for media products that it was famed for, the company will now continue purely as a marketplace and redundancies have also abounded. For the full story, follow the link.

Nokia is changing tact slightly in regards to its promotion of the Lumia line of mobiles. Through its newly announced partnership with the enterprise solutions firm, Avanade, the Scandinavian phone manufacturer is trying to promote the business applications of its smartphone series. The new venture hopes to build on the ubiquity of Microsoft services in the workplace to highlight the benefits of adding Windows Phone 8 to its office ecosystem.